Technology Services

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November/December 1995 Volume 7 Number 6

Corrections via Videoconferencing

The Iowa Board of Parole is using a two-way, full motion, fiber-optic communications network known as the Iowa Communications Network (ICN) to manage the state's prison population. The Iowa Parole Board uses the network for parole interviews, registered victim input processing, and parole revocation hearings. ICN has also been used for parole education to let college students study the judicial process by observing actual parole interviews. The ICN, originally created to be used by Iowa schools, has grown to include government and health care programs.

During a parole interview, the board and the inmate communicate via the two-way video network. The ICN links the board sitting in an ICN classroom with the correctional institutions at Mt. Pleasant and Oakdale.

The victim input process continues this interaction but adds the participation of a registered victim from a location near the victim's home. In the past, a registered victim had to travel to a distant correctional facility, be subjected to a rigorous security check, only to be seated in a room adjacent to the inmate's family and friends. This situation often created a hostile and tense atmosphere. By utilizing the ICN, the parole board is able to avoid this atmosphere by keeping distance between the inmate and the registered victim. Twelve registered victims have participated in the Iowa Board of Parole's Victims Video Program to date.

The use of the ICN for parole revocation hearings has also saved time and money for the Iowa Board of Parole and the state of Iowa. Over 70 parole revocation hearings have been held over the ICN. Before the ICN was available, the parole judge would travel to the county where the alleged parole violations occurred, conduct the hearing, and return. Since the advent of ICN, the parole judge travels to a nearby ICN classroom, conducts the hearing, determines violations and appropriate sanctions, and proceeds to the next case.

Recently, criminal justice majors at Iowa Wesleyan College used ICN's distance learning equipment to observe parole interviews between the board, participating from a site in Johnston, and prospective parolees at a Mt. Pleasant correctional facility. Students gained a better understanding of the system by observing these interactions.

Originally, the Iowa Board of Parole voiced concerns about whether the interaction between the board and the inmates would suffer from the loss of face-to-face dealings. After experimenting with the system, the board found no measurable difference between a traditional hearing and one conducted via ICN. Because of the broadcast quality of the video, the board is able to observe all nonverbal communication as though physically present. Neither the inmates nor their families have objected to the use of the system.

The typical ICN classroom includes three cameras and monitors, microphones, a fax machine, and other required video and audio connection equipment. ICN coordinates the links to multiple sites on the network, and there is at least one node in each of the state's 99 counties.

The parole board is currently completing work on its very own ICN classroom. With its own classroom, the parole board will further reduce its travel time and transportation requirements. The board will no longer be required to assemble mountains of paperwork for transport to an ICN classroom, but will be able to review required files in its own conference room. The board recently activated its prototype Courtvision T-1 videoconferencing system between the board's headquarters in Des Moines and the Scott County Courthouse in Davenport (a distance of approximately 163 miles). The Scott County project marks the first time the board has used compressed T-1 video to conduct parole revocation hearings. The compressed T-1 video provides high-quality video. The board's T-1 system was financed in part by a grant from the Governor's Alliance on Substance Abuse and funds from the parole board, Scott County Attorney, and the ICN.

The board continues to utilize modern technology to expand the effective use of the time and talents of the board and its staff.

James C. Twedt is senior parole judge with the Iowa Board of Parole. He is one of two Iowa judges using videoconferencing to conduct parole hearings with convicts and parolees located in different locations. He can be reached at (515) 242-5975